Locating Agrabah: Orientalism and the Stage in Disney’s ‘Aladdin’ on Broadway
When the system that passes off one race or ethnicity for another also gives positive exposure to many working actors of color—how do we reconcile that?
Theatre
Why We Love Hamilton, A Musical About Men
Alexander Hamilton’s life story, for all its drama, was always an unlikely source for a smash hit on Broadway. Hamilton favored rule by the elite in an already elitist society. He was adulterous, impulsive and privileged. But Lin-Manuel Miranda, like many musical theatre composers before him, saw in this unlikely source the chance to reform […]Read Post ›
Minds at Work: The Secret Lives of the Schuyler Sisters
Lin-Manuel Miranda was first introduced to the Schuyler sisters while on vacation.
Helpless: Why Aren’t We Talking about Gender in Hamilton?
“We are living in the age of Hamilton,” admitted Annette Gordon-Reed at a recent book talk. Reed’s comment is surprising: she’s a leading scholar on Thomas Jefferson, Hamilton’s rival. But her praise is not; nowadays, everyone loves Hamilton.
